The Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League announced that veteran outfielder Josh Reddick has signed a one-year contract. Reddick is currently playing in the Mexican League, and he’ll join the Heat later this year closer to the start of the 2022-23 ABL season in November.
Back in February, Reddick inked a deal with the Acereros de Monclova to continue his career south of the border. He’ll now continue the international sojourn by heading to Australia, and as Reddick noted in the club’s press release, “the main thing is I want to play baseball, I want to play for as long as I can.”
The 35-year-old Reddick has played in each of the last 13 MLB seasons, suiting up with the Red Sox, Athletics, Dodgers, Astros, and Diamondbacks from 2009-21. While it has been a few years since Reddick has been a league-average hitter, he has a solid .262/.321/.426 slash line (104 wRC+) over 4879 career plate appearances in the majors, as his left-handed swing produced consistent numbers against righty pitching. Reddick was also one of the game’s better defensive right fielders of the last decade, highlighted by his Gold Glove in 2012.
Reddick is one of the most prominent players to ever play in the ABL, and he’ll join a Perth club that includes such former MLB veterans as Zac Reininger and Warwick Saupold. The ABL will be resuming operations after canceling their 2021-2022 season due to various logistical complications caused by the pandemic.
I’ll always root for those guys who don’t financially need to play the game anymore but still want to because they love the game.
Go for it man. This seems like it would be an awesome life experience. He’s set with generational wealth and has the hardware, follow your dreams.
Can the Orioles trade Alex Wells for Josh Reddick now?
One step closer to my beer league team…
Is he getting his lambo shipped to Australia?
Surprised he couldn’t find a gig somewhere, even on a team trying to manipulate service time for an outfield/DH prospect. Of course, he hasn’t been very good recently
Saw another article on this. He wants to experience other cultures.
Good Luck Josh!
That’s nawt a knoife.
Good lord just retire already.
It’s odd. Is baseball competitive down there?
Liam Hendricks is from Australia.
It is but obviously not to the level over there. Lots of young talent tho, plenty of kids going over to college in America so that’s a positive. The ABL is around the Double A level from what I’ve heard but the last 2 seasons have been interrupted for obvious reasons
The one guy on the 2017 Astros team who was defiant and unapologetic about cheating. Good riddance, and condolences to Australia.
https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/josh-reddick-has-no-regrets-over-his-role-in-the-astros-cheating-scandal
Thanks for posting this before I congratulated his love of the game.
Hopefully he gets punched by a kangaroo.
Yankees cheated
Red sox cheated
Cards did also…didn’t they hack another team
Padres hid medicals
Mad bum just tossed
Braves pulled some stunts
Bonds, cansaco, McGwire, Sosa all broke federal laws…
Get over the Astros.
I say this as someone not even a fan of the team
I forgive every Astro who apologized. This guy’s an exception. Remorse counts for something. So does the lack of it.
P.S.
Please stop with the false equivalencies. The Astros’ cheating was worse by an order of magnitude, as reflected in the suspensions and firings of the GM, manager and bench coach.
OR I can dislike and shame them all.
Which I do.
Like an ethical person would do.
Also…Bumgarner did what now?
Winter baseball? I love it!!!!!